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Friday, 28 December 2012

Inspired by Channel Television and their "News" Review of 2012 we, at Team Voice, thought we would have a brief reflection over some of the subjects we have covered this past year and have put together (in the video below) a brief, fairly random, selection of the stuff we have on film. Below the video there are links to the Blog Postings featured in the video.

For those who have watched the Channel Television compilation (below) and its various subjects it will come as no surprise as to why the Blogs (Jersey's only independent media) are fast becoming the Fourth Estate on the island and are a crucial source for real "news."

We have reported on the subjects, and asked the questions, the State Media, and their masters, would rather were kept quiet. We have given our "interviewees" an opportunity to speak without fear of being edited to a 30 second soundbite, or fear of being misrepresented, as the State Media are often accused of.

We have covered many different subjects over the course of the year and interviewed many people, and to the best of our knowledge, ALL interviewees are satisfied that NONE of the interviews have been edited to suit an agenda and ALL interviewees were fairly represented in the published interview.....Can the same be said for the accredited media?

The, fairly random, clips we have chosen for our compilation start from January this year (2012) and reach June. We will publish the rest of the year in part two of the compilation in the next couple of days.

Readers/viewers might like to compare and contrast both video's/compilations and ask which has the more "newsworthy" content for a year's "News" Review?

Friday, 21 December 2012

Now that the Nick Pollard Report has been published it is "business as usual" at the BBC. A few "mistakes" were made, a few people got pushed sideways and Mr Pollard found "No evidence of a cover up." Regular readers might recall that back in January 2011 Channel Television (CTV) scooped an AWARD from the Royal Television Society (RTS) for what appeared to be nothing more than a cut and paste job of a Report written by the disgraced Wiltshire Constabulary. The award sparked outrage, condemnation and utter bewilderment among the online community and it was described, by the Chair of the Jersey Care Leavers Association (JCLA) as, "A kick in the teeth" to the Abuse Victims/Survivors. The JCLA (and many others) wrote a letter of complaint to the RTS with their disgust at the decision to award CTV this "prize." The award winning article broadcast by CTV was on the supposed "Expenses Scandal" involving the Jersey Child Abuse Investigation while under the control of former Chief Police Officer Graham Power QPM and Former Senior Investigating Officer DCO Lenny Harper. Mr. Harper "ripped apart" (in our opinion) the award winning, or offending, CTV broadcast which we published HERE and we subsequently published the letter of complaint to RTS from the Chairperson of the JCLA HERE.There were calls for CTV to hand back their award, which evidently fell on deaf ears, but something that the discredited and disgraced BBC had the decency to do over their apparent "faked" Panorama Report HERE.In the interest of fairness and balance CTV say "Channel Television offered a right of reply to former police chief Graham Power as the man ultimately responsible for the management of the abuse inquiry and included Mr Power’s interview as part of the broadcast report. I am very satisfied that our report was accurate, fair and balanced."(END)In our opinion, and a great many others, there was no "expenses scandal" and we offer the view that it was no more than a diversionary tactic employed by the State Media to shift focus from the atrocities that occurred for decades in Jersey's State run institutions, including the possibility of murder. It was a tactic designed to discredit the two cops, Former CPO Graham Power QPM and former DCO Lenny Harper, who lifted the lid off of Jersey's dirty secret(s). Although all island State Media were "on message" it was CTV who won the award for their, what has been labelled, "a cut n paste job."At this point it might be worth remembering the words of Former Chief Police Officer Graham Power QPM who said "The attempts to divert this debate into discussions concerning the trivia of expense claims, is a scandal of which all involved should be thoroughly ashamed." Mr. Power wrote those words when he was describing the allegations the police had received concerning DECADES of Child Abuse would, if proven, amount to STATE SPONSORED PAEDOPHILIA.Hopefully readers would have now read the links provided so far in this posting and understand why there was/is outrage, confusion and complete bewilderment as to how an award was given to an article that was little more than a cut and paste job that many believe was designed to discredit the police officers who lifted the lid off of Jersey's dirty secrets. Readers might be asking what has any of this got to do with the Pollard Report into the discredited and disgraced BBC where Mr. Pollard found (a la Napier) "No evidence of a cover up."Well, it might have absolutely nothing to do with it but for the conspiracy theorists out there by, we are sure, complete coincidence and taken from the discredited and disgraced BBC's own WEBSITENick is a Fellow of the Royal Television Society and in 2007 was awarded the RTS’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Television Journalism. He was Chairman of the RTS’s annual Journalism Awards from 2008-2011.
Whether Mr. Pollard was still the Chairman of the of RTS's annual journalism awards when CTV received theirs is unclear but would make for the conspiracy theorists an interesting story if he was. For the self respecting Investigative Journalist it could make for an equally interesting story.

In the absence of any evidence to the contrary we offer this posting as "food for thought" and possible "coincidence" and in no way impugn the integrity or professionalism of Mr. Pollard or his report.

We will leave the conspiracy theories to the State Media and continue to follow/publish the "facts and evidence" in order that we maintain our credibility that is so lacking with the "accredited" media.

Speaking of which could we ask that those who haven't yet to sign the petition for banned US Author and Investigative Journalist, Leah McGrath Goodman, to have her visa restored? Please sign and share from HERE as Jersey desperately needs some objective and independent professional journalism from somebody who has no constraints from local editors.

Merry Christmas to all our readers/viewers and thank you for your continued support in helping us spread the word that not all people from Jersey are paedophiles or those who protect them. There are those of us that strive for the truth to be told, strive for a non politicised judicial system, strive for democracy, and strive towards justice and closure for the Victims/Survivors of horrendous abuse at the hands of those employed by the States of Jersey and others that robbed them of their childhood and innocence.

Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Former Deputy Chief Officer and Senior Investigating Officer of Jersey's Child Abuse Investigation, Lenny Harper, has kindly responded to our request and submitted a posting on his thoughts and opinions of last night's "Inside Out" programme featured on BBC TV.

We had also asked Home Affairs Minister, Senator Ian Le Marquand to do the same, in order that we could give our readers/viewers a balanced article. Unfortunately, and characteristically, the Minister ignored our e-mails and after watching his "performance" on the programme one can understand if he feels the need to lie low for a while after being made to look (in our opinion) a complete fool, and inadequate, by journalist Sam Smith.

Fortunately (for them) our politicians are not expected to give an answer to any questions they "might" be asked of them by the local State Media but just look at what happens when Senator Le Marquand IS asked a question and his apparent disregard for the Victims/Survivors of the decades long Child Abuse.

Mr. Harper in his characteristic, no nonsense, style keeps the record, and history books, accurate as he dispels some of the apparent myths peddled in the programme by the Attorney General's Office and others.

Former SIO Lenny Harper.

VFC had asked me to comment on what I saw on the “Inside Out” programme tonight, so I sat down to watch it not knowing what to expect. So many times in the past, the media had promised to tell the truth about what went on in Jersey, and so many times had let the victims, survivors, and all working on their behalf, down. This time I was pleasantly surprised. Within the time constraints of twenty minutes or so, the “Inside Out” team did a pretty good job. Mind you, they had some help in the shape of the hapless Ian Le Marquand.

The aspect of this programme that stood out for me was the testimony of the victims who appeared. Together with Carrie Modral, their courage, determination, and dignity shone through. Despite the trauma this will have re-awakened, and despite the life-long effects suffered, they condemned those who had allowed them to suffer in a manner no one could deny. Watching the programme one could not help but feel anger at those authorities in Jersey who had inflicted such suffering on their own people. Firstly in allowing paedophiles to have unfettered free will in homes that they were supposed to be administering, and then to engage in the crudest and cruellest of cover-ups, not once, but again and again. What brought the qualities of the victims/survivors into stark focus was the contrast with the bumbling, struggling, grasping for words and excuses, Ian Le Marquand. His interview with Sam Smith was a lesson on when people would be better hiding in a TOILET. I doubt if making him look like an out of touch liar will be considered by Sam Smith to be one of her finest journalistic achievements. It was too easy. First he accused her of underplaying the complexity of re-examining the cases where people were not charged, despite myself and others being convinced of the strength of the evidence. “This is more complicated than you are making it” he whined. She demanded to know why.

Stumbling over his words he managed to say, “I don’t think prosecutors will be able to re-visit cases already looked at.”

“Why not?”she said.

“Unless there is new evidence.” However by now he was looking extremely uncomfortable.

Again Smith asked, “Why not?” Then, all over the place and hesitating like a frightened rabbit caught in headlights, he muttered, “Why not? There may be cases where they could do.” And to contradict himself even further, he went on, “In some cases they have.”

As if this was not bad enough, when asked by Smith if these people had not suffered enough he came out with the disgraceful line, accompanied by a smug smile, that “The criminal justice process never moves very fast.”

It certainly doesn’t when people like Ian Le Marquand and others in the Jersey Establishment do everything in their power to stop it from moving at all.

There were other disturbing revelations in the programme also. I knew that I had never had a formal allegation against Jimmy Savile whilst I was in Jersey. Tonight we discovered that “John” had made a formal complaint in 2009 and that the police (presumably Mick Gradwell supervised by David Warcup) had submitted a file to the Attorney General’s office. The AG’s office had ruled there was no further action to be taken. All this without even speaking to Savile. If there was enough to submit a file then surely there was enough to interview the suspect under caution. How did the prosecutors rule no further action without even knowing what the suspect would say to the allegation? John was angry that Saville was not even spoken to. I can understand why.

The Attorney General was asked about the cases which were not proceeded with. He apparently told the BBC that the reasons were made public in 2008 and 2009 and that to the “best of his knowledge” no one had ever challenged the assertions. This is rubbish, and the Attorney General knew it. I had challenged these assertions publicly many times. Indeed, I did it so publicly in one press release and a follow up report that the Attorney General ordered Graham Power to tell me to submit my reasons for criticising his office.

Anyone watching the programme tonight who knew nothing about Jersey would look at the pain and suffering which has blighted the lives of the abuse victims/survivors, and compare their demeanour with that of the man who is supposed to be responsible for the system in place to protect them. They would look at what they were saying, and how they said it, and they would know who is telling the truth. It would be nice to believe that the Committee of Inquiry will be given the teeth and the freedom to get to the truth and bring justice to the people denied it for so long. There is a long way to go yet. The Terms of Reference have been butchered. Important aspects have been left out without an EXPLANATION. Who is to say that the bullies in some section of the government will not intimidate those voting in January to veto the COI altogether? (Although, when you witness the foot stamping in the States when decent members attempt to raise the issue of child abuse, you wonder if it will take much intimidation.) However, there can be no doubt now that the eyes of the outside world are on Jersey and Ian Le Marquand’s pathetic attempt to hide the uncomfortable truth tonight will only ensure this attention intensifies. The blogs of Voice for Children and Rico Sorda will continue to shine the spotlight on the sordid activities of those who have previously only had an acquiescing media to contend with. Now that the UK media has broken the ice, I am sure that others will follow. Let us hope that justice for those so vilely abused is not far away. Lenny Harper(END)

VFC credit the BBC for this recording, which in our opinion, was a "fair" piece considering the very limited time allocated (17 minutes) and could not be expected to do real justice to the full story of what has been described as "the worst cover up in History."

We would also like to echo the sentiments of Mr. Harper and humbly pay tribute to the courage, tenacity and dignity of Carrie Modral and all Abuse Survivors. We thank Former SIO Harper for not deserting the Victims and Survivors (a la Gradwell) of the Jersey Child Abuse atrocities and for making himself available to those of us who wish to report the "facts" involving the Child Abuse Investigation and related matters.

Saturday, 1 December 2012

Former Jersey politician and 30 year veteran of the Met Police Bob Hill B.E.M. published a BLOG POSTING with his concerns of some omitted Terms Of Reference (TOR) for the Committee Of Inquiry concerning the decades of Child Abuse that was able to continue in Jersey.

Regular readers/viewers will be aware that former Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur commissioned Ed Marsden, of Verita, to draft suggested TOR's for the Committee of Inquiry which he/they did. In the meantime we had an election which saw Senator Ian Gorst elected as Chief Minister, and for reasons only understood by Senator Gorst, he commissioned Andrew Williamson to review the suggested TOR's of Verita and come up with a revised version.

Subsequently Mr. Williamson produced a 3 page document that was inaccurate, factually incorrect, and offered very little to the debate which was seen by some as a waste of time and taxpayers money.

Chief Minister Gorst then went on to lodge P118/2012 and told us"Verita’s recommendations had been used as the foundation for its TOR's" but as former Deputy Hill pointed out there were at least two TOR's that were omitted by the Chief Minister from the Verita TOR's which are;

"Determine whether the concerns in 2007 were sufficient to justify the States of Jersey Police setting in train Operation Rectangle."

"Review what actions the government took when concerns came to light in 2008 and what, if any, lessons there are to be learned."

Mr. Hill addresses these omissions on his own BLOG and in the video below. There a few more anomalies that have recently come to light concerning the Chief Ministers suggested TOR's which we will be Blogging about in the coming weeks.

In this in-depth interview with Mr. Hill we discuss, among many other related issues, the, what appears to be, very low profile stance adopted by Chief Police Officer Mike Bowron concerning the alleged abuse committed by Jimmy Savile on the island. Why has there not been a high profile campaign in order to encourage Abuse Victims to come forward, as the MET have adopted with "Operation Yew-tree?" The impression given by Jersey's Deputy Chief Police Officer Barry Taylor, that the MET police are controlling the States Of Jersey Police is also discussed.

Jersey has a once in a lifetime opportunity, with this Committee of Inquiry into the horrific Child Abuse that was able to be kept under wraps for decades. An ideal opportunity to restore confidence in the Police Force after the damage inflicted on it by Messrs Warcup and Gradwell. An ideal opportunity to show the world at large that the government is NOT willing to leave any stone left unturned to ensure the "failings" of the past can be repeated. An ideal opportunity to show that the culture that has existed up until very recently (and possibly still exists) will no longer be tolerated and that children in Jersey are safe from predatory paedophiles.

The Terms of Reference, submitted by the Council of Ministers/Chief Minister, need to be far reaching and fit for purpose. So far this does not appear to be the case and those of us who want to rid Jersey of its reputation as a paedophile protecting secret jurisdiction ask that the Chief Minister amends his own proposition to include the omitted TOR's of Verita or explain why they have been omitted.

Jersey, and more importantly, the Victims and Survivors of Child Abuse, need to be able to move forward and put this dark period in Jersey's History behind them. Without a full, robust, far reaching and fit for purpose Committee Of Inquiry this will not be possible and the reputation of Jersey, on the world stage, will not recover.